1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag device for a front passenger seat which is adapted to be mounted on a top plane of an instrument panel of a vehicle in front of the front passenger seat and includes an airbag which is housed in a housing in a folded-up configuration and is deployable when fed with an inflation gas.
2. Description Of Related Art
JP 2010-241296A discloses a known airbag device for a front passenger seat whose airbag is provided, on the lower wall as deployed, with a bottom pocket which is continuous with the lower wall and recessed upward. The bottom pocket is provided for reducing a pressing force against an out-of-position passenger seated in proximity to the instrument panel of the vehicle. By way of example, the bottom pocket is expected to receive the head of such an out-of-position, especially small-sized, passenger and thus give a reduced pressing force to the head.
The bottom pocket of the known airbag device is formed into a generally triangle enlarging downwardly and is configured to keep recessed at full deployment of the airbag by being joined (sewn) to a passenger-side wall of the airbag by the rear edge. However, because the rear edge of the bottom pocket is entirely and directly joined to the passenger-side wall, the region in a vicinity of the rear edge of the bottom pocket does not bend easily, which may cause a failure in smooth reception of the head of an out-of-position passenger. Further, when the airbag of the known airbag device is deployed to cushion a passenger seated at a normal position (i.e., an in-position passenger) in the event of a frontal collision, if the passenger bumps the passenger-side wall and presses the passenger-side wall forward, the bottom pocket can open inadvertently because the bottom pocket is directly joined to the passenger-side wall. This may cause a problem that the airbag cannot secure a sufficient internal pressure and reaction force required to protect the passenger.